Monthly Meditations with Dr. Michael L. Hargett, Sr.

2 Cor 4:16 “So we do not lose heart” L osing heart or losing faith is always an option. Sometimes, we do not have heart or the faith to persevere. Feeling overwhelmed and weak, we are ready to give up on ministry, projects, relationships, tasks, dreams, and faith. An amusing story that I often use involves an office worker who was assigned a mailing task to be completed overnight. When the supervisor arrived at the office the next morning, there was a note on the mountain of unprocessed mail which said, “Too hard! Went home!” At any given time, Paul the Apostle had reasons to be disheartened, to feel that his job was too hard. He was distressed when he wrote this second letter to the fledgling Christian community in Corinth. He was the first to proclaim the Christian message to this group and help them to establish a church, yet they were experiencing a crisis of confidence towards him, which undoubtedly caused him great anguish. If Paul had depended on himself and trusted only in his